First students earn diplomas from alternative high school program

Kats at Night tailors education to students who cannot attend typical classes

BILL BRESLIN, Chronicle Correspondent

Published
5:30 am CDT, Thursday, October 21, 2004

Seven students participated in a special graduation ceremony at a recent Willis Independent School District board meeting.

As the first beneficiaries of the district's new Kats at Night (KAN) program, they donned cap and gown and received their high school diplomas.

"They were grateful for the second chance and thanked Willis ISD for being diligent," said Ben Cooper, principal of the Willis High School Wildkats. "We didn't give the diploma to them, they had to work for it."

The year-round program, which began in April, offers students an alternative to the more typical daytime class environment, Cooper said.

Some students enter the program to get the credits they need so they can return to day classes. Others choose KAN because they must work during the day or because they feel they don't "fit in" with the regular school environment, he said.

The number of people in the program can vary at any given time, Cooper said. Anywhere from seven to 15 students attend the classes held 3:30-7:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

"There are no set semesters and no set graduation dates," Cooper said. "Some students need three credits, some need seven and some need more. Some have more obstacles to overcome at home — like raising a baby."

Proving successful

Cooper, who is in his sixth year as principal of Willis High, said the district received the $80,000 high school completion grant from the state in the spring.

"We want to show the state that it made a good investment in Willis High School."

The district must reapply for the grant annually. The program targets juniors and seniors — students who generally need a small number of credits to graduate or to get back on grade level — rather than freshmen, for example, who have just started their high school education.

"It takes a lot of initiative on behalf of the student because it's a self-paced program," he said.

Willis High School has a student population of around 1,440, Cooper added.

Tony Evans, who teaches computer-aided drafting during the day and the KAN program in the evening, said it was "extremely rewarding" to see the seven students graduate at the board meeting in September.

Evans said he offered to teach the program because he wants to help the young people graduate so they won't have to enter the job world without a high school diploma.

"Some kids who have tested the job waters without a diploma have experienced a lot of difficulty out there," he said. "They tend to be very self-motivated to get a diploma (through the program)."

Kats at Night is a self-paced, computed oriented curriculum utilizing the Plato or Sleek computer programs.

"Both programs are education software for credit restoration," Evans said. "The student's level is assessed and they are educated according to their needs."

Evans, 48, is in his sixth year at Willis High School. The Panorama Village resident is a father of six and retired from the Air Force in 1995.

Meeting student needs

Two of the most common types of students in the KAN program are women who have missed a lot of school because they had a baby, and students who earlier dropped out because they were bored of the learning environment, he said.

Gene Miller, 19, said he only needs five credits to graduate. He has been in the KAN program for a few weeks and hopes to graduate by December.

"The KAN program is a great opportunity," he said. "Without it, I wouldn't be able to graduate this soon."

He added that he likes the self-paced environment because it allows him to learn and absorb the information at his own tempo.

Miller said the class hours are more convenient for himself and his wife, Amanda, because it's easier to find a sitter for their baby at the later time.

His wife also is in the KAN program.

After graduating, Miller said he plans to attend Montgomery College to take computer programming classes.